Chen 1 Sunny Chen Ms. Wilson AP Literature and Composition 4 February, 2014 Austen Research Paper Outline I.

Introduction: A. Lead Story: Happily ever after. True love. These are the fairy tale endings, the final marriage vows, the story life every girl wants. But this is not always the case. In fact, throughout history, women have often sacrificed their happiness in order to have a presence in society, as only a marriage to a respectable husband provided for rights and prosperity. This rendered women unable to gain personal success, as they were bound by the social expectations of marriage and being a good wife. Jane Austen goes against such ideals in a time of strict Regency hierarchy, producing strong female characters and a theme that love will always triumph over social injustices, expectations, and pressures. Her protagonists Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice and Anne Elliot from Persuasion are able to overcome the customs of the Regency era and the pomposity of the people around them, ultimately finding true love at the end of their stories. B. Transition: Austen was a formidable feministic critic, a revolutionary comparable to Mary Wollstonecraft (Ascarelli). However, her staunch feminist stance was interwoven between bouts of delightful satire and softened by endof-book marriages (Ascarelli). Ironically, at first it might seem that she endorsed the accepted social hierarchy through the marriages, but truthfully, they

Chen 2 represented an ideal paradigm for the most perfect fusion between the individual and society (qtd. in Ascarelli). C. Thesis: By proving through her female protagonists that love should triumph over social values, Austen found leeway in womens roles during the strict Regency erathat women should be able to think and act for themselves. Using interwoven symbols, free indirect discourse, and satirical humor, Austen urges for women to strive towards independence and equality. II. Body Paragraph 1 A. Topic Sentence: Austens use of symbols throughout her book serve to empower her female protagonists and condemn the social standards. B. Commentary: In the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth arrives at the Bingleys in a dirty petticoat in order to tend to her sister. C. Concrete Detail: The snobbish Miss Bingley makes a tremendous fuss out of this, commenting how Mr. Darcy wouldnt want to see his sister make such an exhibition (Austen 36). D. Commentary: This shows the importance of the petticoat--or simply, clothing--as a symbol for social standards. E. Concrete Detail: Efrat Margalit states that Jane Austens readers would have attributed the dirty petticoat to [...] sexual indecency (Margalit). F. Commentary: The upperclass and the well-bred young women would have the understanding to wear appropriate clothing and conform to the rules society has set for them, which emphasizes Elizabeths differences as an independent thinker. She prioritizes helping her sister over wearing clothes that others would approve

Chen 3 of. G. Commentary: Also in Persuasion is the symbol of the navy, which Austen uses to describe female empowerment. Through Captain Wentworth, the navy represents the ability to climb the social ladder and gain status in a world of inherited nobility. H. Concrete Detail: Sir Walter admits that that navy is a means of bringing persons of obscure birth into undue distinction, showing how those not born with a high status can work to reach there themselves, something rare in the Regency society (Austen, Persuasion 49). I. Concrete Detail: In fact, Walter begins his words by naming the grounds of objects to the naval profession, or, as Monica Cohen states in Persuading the Navy Home: Austen and Married Women's Professional Property, the extent to which they disrupt the traditional social order (Austen, Persuasion 49). J. Concrete Detail: Cohen goes on to argue that the navy represents an aim to expand the womans sphere by defining it as a social and ethical expertise (Cohen). K. Commentary: This is best seen through the relationship between Admiral Croft and his wife, Sophia, who travel together at sea and share equal responsibility in driving the stagecoach. It is not unreasonable then, how they are one of the few couples in Austens stories that married for love and happiness. L. Commentary: Annes relationship to Captain Wentworthand consequently the navythen serves as her wish to achieve a similar equality and challenge social expectations for women in marriage.

Chen 4 M. Commentary: Austens use of symbols allows her to set down an underlying implications behind seemingly simplistic things, both for her female protagonists and the world they live in. Consequently, the symbols emphasize her feministic stand. III. Body Paragraph 2 A. Topic Sentence: While symbols represent outside forces for her protagonists, Austens prolific use of dialogue and free indirect discourse serves as their inner power. B. Commentary: The use of dialogue reflects the idea of voice being power, which asserts her female protagonists as strong, supporting Austens feministic viewpoints. C. Concrete Detail: When Lady Catherine angrily demands Elizabeth to end her relationship with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth replies, the arguments with which you have supported this extraordinary application have been as frivolous as the application was ill-judged (Austen, Pride and Prejudice 298). D. Concrete Detail: In Persuasion, Anne is described with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character, and when Louisa suffers a head injury, she is calm and composed in aiding her while the others panic (Austen 36). She commands, I can support her myself. Leave me, and go to him. Rub her hands, rub her temples (Austen, Persuasion 130). E. Concrete Detail: Not only does dialogue give the heroines power, but is also one of the primary reasons why their love interests are attracted to them, seen when Mr. Darcy states to Elizabeth, By you I was properly humbledYou showed

Chen 5 me how insufficient were all my pretension to please a woman worthy of being pleased (Austen, Pride and Prejudice 308). F. Commentary: So not only does the characters dialogue provide them with the ability to voice their own opinions, but it also becomes a stepping stone in Austens love over society theme, supporting her argument for breaking gender boundaries. G. Commentary: The use of free indirect discourse is an important one when discussing Austens writing style. It also holds significance when it comes to womens power in her stories. By mixing the narrators voice with the characters voice, Austen effectively empowers the character. H. Concrete Detail: Her shock is reflected in Austens use of free indirect discourse here, that she should receive an offer of marriage from Mr. Darcy! (Austen, Pride and Prejudice 164). I. Commentary: The free indirect discourse also allows readers to see Austens viewpoints from the point of view of the character. It allows them to connect with the character in ways a traditional, omniscient or limited, point of view would not, enabling them to directly support Austens feministic stand. IV. Body Paragraph 3: Free indirect discourse provides an output for another prominent feature of Austens writing stylehumor. Through satire and irony, Austen reinforces her heroines independence from the people around them. A. Topic Sentence: Another prominent feature of Austens writing style is her use of humor, which also emphasizes her view on breaking social boundaries by mocking the upper class.

Chen 6 B. Commentary: One of the best examples of her use of humor is in Pride and Prejudice, specifically with the character of Mr. Collins. He is pompous and obsequious by nature, resorting to long, drawn-out, flowery speeches when talking with someone else. C. Concrete Detail: When faced with Elizabeths rejection over his proposal, he remarks that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of a man whom they secretly mean to accept. D. Concrete Detail: Also, as John McAleer states, [he] schemes constantly to compliment [Lady Catherine] (McAleer). E. Commentary: This mocks Collins in his attempts to fawn over those higher than him in the social hierarchy, which implies that Austen condemns such behavior. Her use of humor then also serves to divide her female protagonists from those curled about societys finger--showing her support of independent women and feminism. F. Commentary: Similarly, Austen also ridicules both Elizabeth and Annes parental figures by giving them traits of airheadedness, unreliability, and irresponsibility when it comes to their daughters. G. Concrete Detail: Mrs. Bennett is overly preoccupied with finding her daughters suitable husbands. Mr. Bennett prefers the company of his study to the problems of his family. And Mr. Elliot foolishly sends his family into debt in order to keep up noble airs. H. Concrete Detail: Mrs. Bennett is overly preoccupied with finding her daughters suitable husbands, and translates the news of Elizabeths engagement at once

Chen 7 into material terms (McAleer). I. Concrete Detail: And Mr. Elliot foolishly sends his family into debt in order to keep up noble appearances, as vanity was the beginning and the end of [his] character (Austen, Persuasion 36). J. Commentary: This may be attributed to the social pressures of the time--marriage and social status being two of the most important. However, for her audience, Austen is able to voice her complaints against social restrictions without offense through this satire. As such, satirical humor is an essential component in showing Austens call for womens equality. V. Conclusion: Austens characters provide a call for feminism in a time when women were imprisoned by social barriers. They find love and happiness even in adverse situations, one of the common features of Austens novels and also one that shows her defiance towards social expectations towards marriage. And beyond saying their vows, her characters are set apart from the people around them through symbols, voice, and humor; they demonstrate Austens stance for womens equality and independence. It is through standing against the pressures of society that her female protagonists are able to find their true happily ever after.